


Le Trois

by ambaila



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:02:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25112821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambaila/pseuds/ambaila
Summary: Her proposed rule from the diner no longer existed. They worked because they trusted each other. They were open and honest.
Relationships: Donna Paulsen/Harvey Specter, Harvey Specter & Lily Specter
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

Harvey swung and missed the bag. Arranging his feet before his trainer could snap at him for it, he swung at the bag and missed. _Again_. He had been up before the sun and left his apartment before he suffocated. Anxiety weighed heavy on his nerves and he couldn’t – he had to make contact with this god damn bag.

_You’ve got to have patience, Harvey._

The bag stilled and Harvey swung. His gloved fist made contact. Then again. That was when he built up a rhythm and the bag became his worst enemy. Constant repetition of contact made his body sing, his muscles tense, beads of tension and anxiety seeping out from him.

Eventually he garnered a crowd and his trainer kicked him out. Well, adamantly advised to go home and clean up. Home was not where he went to, but to the office. A splash of water on his face was all it took for him to calm down. Or so he thought, as he gripped the edge of the sink.

Contemplating on calling for his secretary, he came to a stop in the doorway. His body was still thrumming with adrenaline.

Donna Paulsen sat on the edge of his desk; one leg crossed over the other. In her lap was a small black bag. At the sight of Harvey, she tilted her head, her red hair falling over the one shoulder.

“It’s funny because I thought Jack told you to go _home_.”

“How do you know about that conversation?” Harvey asked, pushing himself further into his office.

“The point is,” Donna said, slipping off his desk when he went to stand behind it. “This is not home.”

“You are not at home.”

“How astute,” Donna remarked. “Let me see your hands.”

“Donna –“

“Let me see your hands,” she pressed.

When Harvey brought his hands into view, out of his pockets, Donna schooled her features. The man’s knuckles were red and raw; one was red and bloody. She said nothing though and unzipped the black bag.

“This is going to hurt,” she murmured, taking a wipe and brushing it against his knuckles.

She felt the tension, the instinct to pull away, so she tightened her grip. She brushed the wipe again and tossed it into the trash can. She brushed her thumb against the top of his hand, soothing him like a wounded child. A small smirk brushed her lips as she felt him relax at her touch.

“Was the bag still chained when you left the gym?”

The knuckles of his right hand were wrapped in gauze, while the left was left open to breathe.

“Donna,” Harvey groaned.

“Are you going to tell me why Jack had to call me to _warn_ me you were in a bad mood?”

“I couldn’t focus,” Harvey told her honestly. “I’ve had a lot going on.”

Donna raised a silent eyebrow and nodded. “Tell me later?”

He nodded.

She knew he would. Eventually. That was what they did now. Now that they were working at Pearson Hardman together.

_None of this is your fault, Harvey_.

Work had been fine. A full day of depo-prep and client meetings took his mind off of the morning. He kept his right hand in his pocket when he could and challenged anyone who saw the bandage to question it. No one did and his day went on.

By the time he shut his computer down, Donna had left. Apologizing to her was what he was going to do. He had to. It became the rule not too long ago after he snapped at her over a file that was missing.

Turning the key in his door, letting it shut behind him with the familiar click released the tension in his shoulders. The aroma of chicken baking in the oven eased the muscles in his back. The gentle jazz tunes from his bedroom allowed him to drop his shoulders.

He was home.

It had been six months since he left the DA’s office. Six months since he and Donna slept together and when he brought her home, she didn’t leave. Her rule that she proposed in the diner no longer existed. They worked together because they trusted each other. They were open and honest.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her back into his chest, Harvey buried his face into her neck and sighed. She grounded him.

“You’re home.”

“I am,” Harvey mumbled. “I’m sorry for earlier.”

Donna turned in his arms and looked up at him. She framed her face in her hands and looked for any kind of clue in his eyes.

“Jack never calls me, Harvey,” Donna reminded. “He’s called me once in the last 3 years.”

“I know.”

It was when Harvey got into a drag out fight with someone in the ring. Two grown men taking swings at each other with the intention to do maximum damage. Jack had been on the phone with someone when the fight broke out and someone had called the police. Jack called Donna to get him out of the building and away from it for a while. She had to take him to the ER for a cut above his eye.

“What got into you?”

“It’s my Mom’s birthday,” Harvey admitted.

Donna let her hands drop his chest, feeling his heartbeat against her palm.

“And that’s what made you take out the bag?” Donna asked. “Jack said you nearly took it off the chain.”

“I was mad.”

“For what?”

Donna knew everything about him. Even things he didn’t tell her, she knew. She knew his relationship with his family was fraught and fragile. His hero was his father. There was a haunted look in his eyes from time to time that she now could give an explanation for.

“The last time I saw my mom was on her birthday,” Harvey explained. “When I caught her.”

Donna turned off the pot on the stove and removed it off the plate. She pulled two glasses down from the rack and poured them each two parts of whiskey. She handed him the glass with a small smile.

“I’ve had her in my head the last couple of days,” Harvey explained as they sat on the couch.

Donna curled towards him, giving him space.

“Words of advice from when I was kid.” Harvey shrugged. “When I’d be up to bat for my baseball games, or with school.”

“Why now?” Donna asked. “Why is she in your mind now?”

“I don’t know,” Harvey said honestly. “And that’s what pisses me off.”

_Count to three, Harvey and breathe._

Donna was staring out at the city below her when she heard the door open. They had been together for a year. Her and Harvey. Trying very hard not to cross the line of business and pleasure. Jessica was having a hard time wrapping her own mind around how they are able to pull it off.

To be honest and fair, Donna didn’t know either. She was sure this was going to fizzle out for the great Harvey Specter. The playboy of Midtown who won every case. It wasn’t what attracted her to him, but it was part of the appeal. No, what was attractive was the quietness Harvey brought. The quiet determination and power.

“We should get away,” Harvey said, pulling Donna’s attention from the city skyline.

“Where would we go?” Donna asked, falling into the magnetic pull that drew her to Harvey.

“Anywhere you want.”

“Even Boston?” Donna remarked. “I want to see Harvard.”

Harvey narrowed his eyes at her and kissed her. He made love to her and when they woke the next morning, he figured out how to get her to Harvard.

It took a while, but her hand was in his as they looked up at the Georgian architecture of Harvard. Her hand never left his as he guided her from one building to the next, showing her where he went to school. She was mesmerized by the adoration Harvey had for the place. She was smiling as he stood with her, in the middle of the common, and told her he’d marry her one day.

It was a small museum that she had found by accident. It was a small piece of art that she bought and presented it to him when they got home.

“Donna,” Harvey said, eyeing the piece. “Where did you get this?”

“From Harvard.”

She wrapped her arm through his as they admired it. “It’s – “

“It’s her work, isn’t it?”

Harvey nodded with a clenched jaw. He pressed a hard kiss to her temple and wrapped her in his arms.

He loved her.

_You’ll be okay, Harvey._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Art isn't easy. Facing your past isn't either.

_Tomorrow will be different._

Harvey stretched his arms out in front of him. His bag, which only held a weekend’s amount of clothes, weighed heavy in his hand. His eyes were locked on the digital screen, marking the floors he had gone up. Just two more until he could step out into his hallway and he was _home_.

The silver band caught the light as the elevator doors slipped open. He unlocked his door and made his entrance as quiet as possible. It was late – middle of night – and he didn’t want to risk waking Donna. Harvey dropped his bag by the kitchen island, slipped out of his shoes and jacket by the couch. He made sure the bathroom door was closed before he flipped on the light.

It was the one thing about his apartment that he never liked. It was towards the beginning of their relationship when she was over, had just gone to sleep and he flipped on the bathroom light. Harvey was victim to the light when he had come home late and just as he was about to fall asleep, the room was basked in light. They agreed that they would shut the door first and then turn on the light. It worked.

Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, Harvey slipped under the covers and waited for Donna to curl into him. She did instinctively and he nearly missed her lips brushing his shoulder. He tightened his grip on her and let sleep come.

He wasn’t thrilled to be woken up a few hours later by the sharp rays of the sun. That was something he wasn’t able to fix, no matter how thick the curtains they bought. Groaning into his pillow, Harvey rolled onto his stomach, content in just sleep for the next – forever.

A dip in the bed forced an eye open. A bare shot of thigh had him lifting his head, to find Donna sitting next to him with two cups of coffee. She sat cross legged, the coffee cups sitting on her knees.

“Morning,” she greeted, her voice deep and rich. “What time did you get in?”

“What time ‘s it?”

“Seven-forty-five,” Donna informed him, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Four hours ago,” Harvey grumbled.

Like a child he flipped himself over and stared at his wife. She was looking at him expectedly as if she needed to know why he was so late. As if she hadn’t followed his flight path from California to New York. Despite her wide-eyed look, he saw the shadow of tiredness in her own eyes, meaning she probably didn’t go to bed until the flight information indicated his plane landed. With that reasoning, Harvey realized she was probably still partially awake when he came home.

“I’m being punished.” Harvey groaned. “Jessica is punishing me.”

Donna laughed at that. She stretched over Harvey and settled his coffee on his bedside table before righting herself next to him. She looked down at him as he looked up at her.

“What makes you think that?”

“What else would you call being stuck in a hotel room with Louis for three day?”

“An opportunity.”

Harvey rolled himself back onto his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows. “She’s punishing me.”

Donna rolled her eyes as Harvey dropped his head in her lap. She quickly raised her coffee cup, away from his head, attempting to avoid spilling warm coffee in his hair.

“For what?”

“For getting married.”

Donna nudged him up and with that Harvey finally sat up in bed. He took her coffee from her and took a sip, setting it back into her surprised grasp.

“We’ve been married for five years. I doubt she’s that upset with you, _now_.”

“Donna,” Harvey whined following her out of their bedroom.

Half a second forward, he backtracked and grabbed his own coffee from the bedroom. She was at the refrigerator when he made it into the living room area. Donna was pulling out a fruit tray with a variety of pastries.

“Harvey,” Donna said, looking up at her husband pointedly. “Jessica is not mad at you because we’re married. Jessica isn’t mad at you at all. You’re just tired.”

“I’m not tired.”

“You sound like a child.”

“Do you have a child?”

“I married one,” Donna remarked with a smirk.

_Just be happy._

Harvey held her teasing gaze. He reached across the island to make a grab at her, but she jumped back. He took the opportunity to come around the island, but Donna went the other way. Eventually he got an arm around her waist, in their bedroom. Her laughter still rang in his ears hours later, when the fog of exhaustion and jet lag wore off.

“What do you think about going to Boston for the weekend?” Harvey asked.

“Why would we go to Boston?”

“You want to meet my Mom?”

Donna looked at Harvey with surprise. Her lips parted as she tilted her head to look at him. He was just starting to talk about her. They had her artwork in their home but never talked about it. It was a few years ago, when someone lost their mother and was suing for wrongful death, that Harvey told her more of what happened.

She let him broach the subject. She didn’t push. She wouldn’t dare. With Harvey asking to go to Boston was a huge step, that Donna was suddenly glad to be part of.

They spent the rest of the morning and a good part of the afternoon in bed. Finally, when stomachs growled and hunger became a problem, they forced themselves into the living room and curled up on the couch.

Donna propped her head up on a bent elbow, it resting on the back of the couch.

“What brought this on?”

“Marcus called,” Harvey explained. “While I was in California and invited us. I told him I’d think about it.”

“But you’ve thought about it.”

Harvey shrugged his shoulder and leaned back. Donna let her fingers play with the hair at the back of his neck. It was starting to get long and she knew he’d want to get it cut soon.

“She’s got an art show, Marcus said. Figured we could surprise her.”

“That would be nice, Harvey.”

Nice wasn’t the word that came to mind as Harvey’s stomach churned. They had pulled up to a small bookstore near his Mom’s house. Donna slept most of the ride since they woke up at an ungodly hour to beat traffic. She had been playing with the radio the last leg and couldn’t settle on anything. So, she resorted to asking him questions about his growing up, which he answered.

“Her art show is here?”

“It’s the address Marcus sent me,” Harvey said, putting the car into park.

Harvey quickly got out of the car and came around, opening the door for Donna. She slipped her hand into his as they had done a million times, but this was different. He felt the cool band of her own wedding ring against his palm and it grounded him.

He bit the bile that wanted to travel up his throat and forced the panic from his mind. A simple kiss to his jaw was all it took for him to catch his breath and step forward.

The bookshop wasn’t as small as he thought it would be. It was two levels and arrows pointed to the second floor for the art show. At the top of the stairs, Harvey saw Marcus waiting.

“You came,” the younger brother side. “Thank you.”

The two men hugged and Marcus enveloped Donna into a hug as well. Joy was on the younger man’s face and pride. It was something Harvey wanted to ask about later.

“Mom is over there.”

Marcus pointed to a small corner several feet away. She was talking to a group of people when she locked eyes with Harvey. Donna’s hand squeezed his and she leaned up into him, her mouth close to his ear.

“You’re okay.”

 _You’ve got to believe me, Harvey_.

“We’re not taking any more of her art home,” Harvey said quietly in Donna’s ear.

Donna smiled and shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not my fault she’s talented.”

They walked hand in hand through the gallery on the second floor of the shop. Lily Specter had a handful of pieces displayed, but the true reason for the gathering was the book. Hence the bookshop, Harvey realized. It was a project her and another artist worked on and having their art displayed in the pages of this book, it allowed more than one person to have her talent. That book was going to go home with them; Donna had already bought it, he was sure of it.

“Harvey,” a voice behind them said.

Together, Harvey and Donna turned, coming face to face with Lily Specter. The older woman smiled.

Apprehensively, Harvey took a step forward and hugged his mother. It was the first break of contact with Donna. But the warmth didn’t go away. The brief void was filled by his mother’s unusual warmth.

“Thank you for coming,” Lily said, pulling away, watching her son drift back to the redhead at his side. “Both of you.”

“Ms. Specter,” a young man called.

Lily and Donna looked to the boy and a flush crawled up Donna’s neck. Donna stepped back at the realization she was not the Ms. Specter the man was talking about.

Harvey smirked at her as she backed into him, winking at her. For so long they lived in a bubble. A bubble for the last five years where she was the Mrs. Specter when someone needed Harvey’s wife. She was Ms. Paulsen when they needed to chew Harvey up and spit him back out. She was Donna Specter when her husband was disrespected.

“Sorry about that,” Lily apologized. “Would you like to get some coffee?”

Harvey looked to Donna who nodded her head. “Sure Mom.”

The trio made their way across the second floor and down the staircase. A small desk, barely large enough for them was open. They awkwardly stood next to it, but Donna took a breath and eyed them both.

“Why don’t I go get us our coffee?” Donna proposed. “Lily, what would you like?”

“Anything is fine.”

Donna nodded and slipped through the crowd of people.

Harvey and Lily sat at the table; Harvey sat across from his Mom, leaving room for when Donna came back. 

“It’s nice you’re here Harvey,” Lily said. “Marcus tells me you’re in town for the weekend?”

“Yeah,” Harvey said, his nerves bundled. “Might take Donna back to the Common.” 

“I’m assuming that’s Donna,” his mom said, nodding to the red head in line.

“She is.”

“When did you two get married?”

The one thing about his Mom Harvey forgot was her attention to detail. She must have seen Donna’s ring. He was trying not to bring too much attention to it.

“Five years ago,” Harvey said. “Central Park.”

“A very pretty place.”

“It was.” Harvey nodded, agreeing with her.

They lapsed into a bit of silence. Harvey quietly wished Donna would hurry up. A quick glance over and it seemed like she hadn’t moved. Harvey looked back to his mom, who was studying him with a small smile.

“I’m sorry,” they said in unison.

Lily smiled and Harvey looked down.

“Go ahead,” Lily offered.

Harvey took a deep breath. “I’ve been going to therapy. I started having panic attacks.”

“When did they start?”

“About seven years ago.” The worry in his mother’s eyes was enough reason for him to continue. “We had a case and Donna was caught in the middle. I thought I was going to lose her and –“

“Panic attack.”

“Panic attack,” Harvey agreed, nodding.

“Okay, one black coffee with two sugars and a light squeeze of vanilla.” Donna said putting the coffee down in front of Lily. “Trust me. It’s delicious.”

Her arrival surprised Harvey. He missed her moving through the line. But he took the cup Donna set in front of him with a smile and a nod of thanks. Donna slipped in next to him, eyeing her mother-in-law.

“This is good.” Lily agreed, smiling at the two of them. “Harvey tells me you two got married in Central Park?”

“We did,” Donna smiled.

“How long were you engaged?”

Donna looked to Harvey who was ready to roll his eyes. He _hated_ this story.

“Lily, let me tell you what your son tried to pull off.”

They spent the rest of the day with Lily. The longer together, the more Harvey began to relax. His mother loved Donna and the feeling was mutual. He could see it in the glint in Donna’s eyes.

It had been a long time since he felt this comfortable around his mom. It was nice.

_I’ll be okay, Harvey._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who have read this! Let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think!


End file.
